Approximately twelve months ago at the Vegas Grand Prix, the Cadillac racing team were ultimately given the green light as F1's latest participant for 2026. Constructing the organization from scratch has involved a hectic work rate that the team principal, Graeme Lowdon, has likened to the Apollo moon landing. As the sport converges on Vegas this weekend, the team know the clock is ticking.
The Countdown to Australia
At the season finale of the season to be held in the America, with approximately a hundred days to go before they take to the track for the first time in Australia at the 2026 season opener, the Cadillac F1 project have advanced rapidly but, in what must seem like a never-ending challenge, they are conscious there will not be enough hours in the day.
The technical director, Nick Chester, came aboard the newly formed operation in March 2023 shortly after it was formed, when the organization were without even an confirmed place. He has been at its core ever since and gets a wry smile when reflecting on the experience.
“There might be a short period reflecting at what you have accomplished and say: ‘Amazing, what an achievement what we’ve done in under three years,’” Chester states. “Then the next minute you realize: ‘Well, we’ve still got a great deal to do.’”
An Unprecedented Task
Nick Chester achieved victories at the Renault team in Alonso's title-winning seasons of the mid-2000s and was in charge of technical direction at the then-new Mercedes electric racing team, but no previous experience has been quite like the mission of launching the quintessentially American Cadillac marque, a factory team sponsored by the parent company, GM, into the pinnacle of motorsport.
“Building an Formula One team from scratch, how often do you get the opportunity to do that?” Chester remarks. “It is like nothing else. In an well-set team you won't have the possibility to change organizational mindset.”
With each passing day that passes thoughts are increasingly concentrated on the looming decisive point in Melbourne and goals are being handled.
“One must presume that any incoming team joining the grid is likely to start at the back but simply getting on to the grid will be an accomplishment in itself,” Graeme Lowdon noted recently and while Chester shared this view he believed the team had a statement to make as well.
“The initial objective we want to show is that we deserve to be there,” he emphasizes. “So that we arrive and we perform competently. We want to show that we’re a proper team doing the correct procedures on the circuit. When we have demonstrated that our credentials are solid, then we will focus on progression subsequently.”
Racing Talent and Hiring Drive
In August they contracted Sergio Perez and Bottas as their racers for the 2026 season, a duo remarkable for their invaluable experience in operating at the leading positions in two championship-winning squads, Red Bull Racing and the Mercedes team, and Bottas expressed the sentiment of fighting spirit.
“Certainly, we are pragmatic,” he said. “We face a huge amount of work to do, and it will likely be most likely a challenging beginning, because this is Formula One. But we aren't joining to finish last. I believe given this organization, with these individuals, these people, it's entirely possible we won't be able to advance swiftly to a competitive level and achieve good results.”
To that end hiring has been in overdrive, with employees now reaching over 400 and intended to attain the target of 600 members quickly. Complementing their present headquarters at Silverstone, the organization are in the process of completing an headquarters at the Fishers location in Indianapolis and there is the GM works in Charlotte, where they are developing the center to build the new engine, scheduled for the 2029 season – in the meantime they will use Ferrari power units – and the Toyota's wind tunnel in Germany. It is a sophisticated structure, different from the movement in the sport for greater centralisation, and has led to the fresh organizational mindset to which Chester alluded.
Apollo Model
“We've drawn heavily from the Apollo project,” said Graeme Lowdon ahead of the British Grand Prix in the summer. “We’re realistic, we know how challenging it is. The schedules, are extremely compressed. OK, we aren't launching a lunar mission, but the pressure is comparable.”
So they have adopted, as opposed to the usual hierarchical system, a non-hierarchical approach akin to that of Nasa’s, where there were a assortment of Apollo teams all focusing on various components of the program in a variety of locations.
“In a system where you follow a procedure where someone has a problem and they escalate it to their manager, that manager consults a supervisor at a different location, it goes back down the chain, it becomes inefficient,” explains the CTO. “So we empower staff to handle things directly. Moving away from hierarchical consent for each action is much smoother and quicker.”
The Future
The success of this nimble approach will be tested in the heat of competition in 2026 and there is a significant degree riding on this for Formula One, too. Cadillac have taken on as their test driver the young American Colton Herta
